Metro News & Reviews

Update on Gold Line Foothill Extension rail yard and Iconic Bridge

Habib Balian, the CEO of the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, send the following email on Wednesday afternoon to community members following the project that will extend the Gold Line for 11 miles from Pasadena to Azusa:

This morning, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michelle Rosenblatt conducted a hearing in the Authority’s eminent domain case with the City of Monrovia and the Successor Agency to the Monrovia Redevelopment Agency. The hearing was the next step in the eminent domain process and concluded with the judge issuing an Order of Pre-judgment Possession. This Order provides the Authority full control over the property, and results in the Authority controlling more than 50 percent of the land needed for the project’s maintenance facility (the Authority will have control of 100% of the property in the coming months).

As you recall, this was one of two conditions placed on the Authority by Metro before full funding would be released for the project. Today’s Order satisfies that funding condition and allows the Authority to issue a Full Notice to Proceed to the project’s design-build contractor Foothill Transit Constructors – a Kiewit Parsons Joint Venture, keeping the project on schedule for construction completion in 2015.

Additionally, yesterday we were out at the I-210 Bridge site reviewing the progress on the temporary false-work (which is nearly complete), and viewing a sample mock-up panel for the superstructure’s formwork (the temporary “mold” into which concrete is placed). Because the superstructure is designed with many artistic elements, the formwork design is critical. It must be precise to result in the artistic impressions envisioned in the bridge’s iconic design. The 18,000 pound mock-up panel was constructed to verify the formwork design meets the artist’s intent for the architectural elements. Below is a photo taken yesterday of the sample mock-up. Installation of the formwork has just begun and we anticipate the concrete will be placed in May.

Finally, tomorrow morning, the Authority is hosting a pre-submittal conference for firms interested in competing for the final design-build contract for Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa project. The Authority issued a Request for Statements of Qualification on March 19th for the Parking Facilities and Enhancements design build project. As with the other two design-build procurements, the Authority will first short-list teams and then go through the proposal process with only those short-listed teams. The conference will be held at Arcadia City Hall, Council Chambers tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.